Tot School Daily Rhythm
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Are you looking a daily rhythm Waldorf inspired or otherwise? Today, I’m sharing our daily rhythm at home in our Tot School! If you’re looking for a toddler daily rhythm or a Waldorf daily rhythm toddler style, I hope this post inspires you!
Keep reading to learn more about our Tot School daily rhythm and why we use this type of toddler schedule at home!
We use a daily rhythm in our Tot School over a schedule for a number of reasons. I am a pretty inflexible person, overall, and find having a schedule causes a lot of unnecessary anxiety. If I have something written down at a certain time, we have to do it at a certain time. A rhythm allows me to flow with the day without being overly concerned with times and durations. Your toddler will likely appreciate this as well! You’ll see there are a few target times for lunch, dinner, and bed time but I try to keep those flexible as well!
Morning
The way we start our morning sets the tone for the day. Depending on what time we get up, we may have some snuggle time on the couch before we get up to start breakfast. Having a slow morning is an important way to set the tone for the rest of the day.
Breakfast
I make breakfast while Penelope plays and reads her books. Breakfast isn’t usually anything fancy, in part because she doesn’t really eat anything besides yogurt, toast, and fruit as far as breakfast foods go!
Walk Dog/Outside Time
After we get cleaned up from breakfast, we take Lady for a walk. Penelope goes in the stroller for the walk. Depending on what time we get back, we’ll either go for another walk or play outside for a bit before heading in for chores.
Cleaning Time
After we come inside I get the dishes done, fold the laundry, and clean up a bit. Sometimes Penelope helps, and sometimes she just creates a mess in another area. Either way, I get done what needs to get done!
Activities
Once we clean up we’ll do an activity. This could be from a curriculum we use, reading books, a sensory bin activity, or really anything else we think up.
Lunch Prep
I’ll get ready for lunch and usually pop something on Youtube for Penelope during this time. I get overstimulated pretty easily and it’s hard for me to focus on lunch and be a happy mama when someone’s yelling at me to cook faster!
Lunch
We eat lunch together and Penelope usually falls asleep in her food!
Afternoon
Our afternoons can vary greatly as I work a few times during the week and Penelope has dad time! Generally, this is our flow!
Nap
Penelope is almost 2 and she still naps for at least an hour every day. While she naps, I work on my business things that need to get done. I definitely don’t get it all done during nap time but a focused hour goes a long way!
Quiet Time
After nap we hang out quietly, reading books or working on a quiet activity. If there’s any work I need to finish up I finish it up before we start our afternoon activity.
Activity
This activity is pretty similar to the morning. We might do a “preschool” activity or read a book. Maybe it’s a weekly rhythm activity or craft.
Walk/Outside Time
If Penelope wants a snack we’ll have a snack before heading outside for another walk. We may also spend some more time outside, especially in the spring time. Right now in December, it gets dark too early for us to play outside for very long!
Dinner Prep
I’ll start dinner while Penelope plays with her kitchen or colors nearby!
Night
Nighttime can quickly get chaotic if we’re not careful. I try to keep with the flow to prevent chaos but it’s unavoidable sometimes!
Clean Up
While dinner is cooling, we do a quick clean up of any toys or dishes I didn’t get to while I was cooking.
Dinner
Dinner time! My husband is usually home for dinner so we try to eat together as a family. Dinner is usually hit or miss with Penelope, she’s actually a pretty good eater so I’m never very concerned if she’s picky for dinner.
Bath
I hate bath time so my husband usually takes this over while I finish cleaning up for the day. If he’s not home for some reason, we’ll spend a few minutes at bath time. She’s so messy, I feel like a bath every day is necessary but I definitely don’t wash her hair every night!
Books
We always read books before bed! She gets 2 books plus Goodnight Moon. She sits and drinks her milk during the first two books and then runs around during Goodnight Moon. Even though she doesn’t really listen to it, she knows if we skip it so I recite it quickly before brushing teeth.
Bed
We aim to have her in bed between 6:45 and 7:15. She snuggles to sleep still which I both love and hate. She does look very sweet when she’s sleeping though!
Do you have a Tot School Daily Rhythm? What do you do all day with your toddler? I would love for you to share with me!